One of the favorite tactics of the MSM when trying to create conventional wisdom is to play the old “move the goalposts” game.

The basic idea being, if you can’t change reality, change what reality means, thus a defeat becomes a “moral victory” and a victory becomes empty because it is not of the correct size or shape.

Nothing personifies this better than the way the media treats Donald Trump.

From the first day of his campaign the media treated Donald Trump unseriously and he completely punked them and they have spent the last six months making confident pronouncements that have failed to come true.

Now that my guy Ted Cruz is leading in Iowa there is a new meme out there that was flogged on CNN today.

If Donald Trump doesn’t win Iowa, his campaign is finished.

Yes you heard that right, apparently according to the MSM et/al if Donald Trump doesn’t win the Iowa Caucus it proves that all the national polling means nothing and Trump is just a paper tiger signifying nothing.

Now it’s certainly a fair question to ask about the Trump “get out the vote” operation and given that a caucus is more time consuming than a primary it’s certainly possible that the voters who Trump is drawing who don’t normally get involved might be tougher to turn out for a caucus that involves a lot of time vs a primary where you vote and leave as normal. These are legit questions worth reporting on.

But the “Trump must win Iowa or he’s finished” meme is nonsense and can be demonstrated as such by two simple questions. This is the first:

“If Jeb Bush fails to win Iowa is he finished and if not, why not?”

Now for anyone who knows anything about how the primary process works that question is pretty easy to answer but the answer to that question leads to a second one.

“Given that Jeb Bush doesn’t crack the top 3 in any early state while Donald Trump leads in most of them and has more money then Bush, why does a 2nd place finish for Trump in Iowa doom him but a 2nd place or worse finish for Bush or Kasich, or Christie is nothing for them to worry about?”

These questions are so damn obvious and follow the assertion concerning Trump and Iowa so naturally that one would think the MSM & GOP would be ashamed to make them but they assume you are too stupid to think of this.

But the MSM and the GOP have no shame, they just are a group of people running out of cards & memes to play so they are tossing anything they can against the wall in the hope something sticks.

Now as a Ted Cruz guy, I’m hoping Trump doesn’t win Iowa and given the brilliant campaign Ted Cruz is running those odds are looking better and better, but neither I nor Senator Cruz is foolish enough as to think if Ted Cruz wins Iowa Trump is finished.

If your candidate is foolish enough to believe that, then they don’t belong in this race or any other.

I *was* a Cruz guy, but am now in Trump’s camp. I tend to agree with Trevor Loudon’s advice he gave while touring the USA (in effect, a pro-Cruz tour): the Right needs to coalesce around one candidate by the end of 2015 (i.e. before the Primaries begin), in order to defeat the GOP Establishment’s candidate (then Bush, now likely Rubio) when the Primaries begin.

And, I’d *hate* to see the Right “split” the vote, only to let a RINO win (though there’s always the possibility of a brokered convention…can’t do too much about that).

Set aside for the moment my distaste for Cruz’s support/vote for the Trans Pacific Trade Deal, including the ANTI-CONSTITUTIONAL Amendment
requiring 2/3 to reject – instead of pass – the deal.

I JUST HAVEN’T SEEN ANY *FIGHT* in Cruz since the campaigning began…and THAT worries me almost as much as the aforementioned.

Is DONALD TRUMP a gamble of sorts? Sure.

But SO IS Cruz (beholden to Goldman Sachs…or whomever got him to vote that way on the Trade stuff?).

SO, the questions:
1) what still makes you lean towards Cruz than Trump?
2) any thoughts on my reservations above?
3) would you reconsider and support Trump if he’s clearly leading by the time your State’s Primary comes around? And, how about in the general election in November?

Brief answers in order (Detailed answers in tomorrow’s lead post here due up 5 AM EST)
1. I’m for Cruz because he has fought for what I believe in
2. I think Cruz HAS fought but in a more subtle way than trump.
3. I’m sticking with Cruz in the primaries but if Trump is nominated I’ll support him in the general

Donald Trump Calls on DaTechGuy Worcester MA

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